


Point of Origin

by tptigger



Category: Power Rangers Samurai, Power Rangers Wild Force
Genre: Breaking the Fourth Wall, Gen, Memory Loss, why has no one beat me to writing this fic?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-20
Updated: 2013-09-20
Packaged: 2017-12-27 04:04:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/974115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tptigger/pseuds/tptigger
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merrick's finally found Cole--amongst the Power Rangers Samurai.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Point of Origin

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this since Rick Medina showed up on Samurai, but things were busy and then I swear it was cursed in beta. Much thanks to Rivulet027 for beta reading and M14Mouse for help with the title (and Riv for asking her.) Also thanks to thesecondbatgirl for alpha reading and cheerleading and insisting that I finish it.
> 
> There is a head canon going around that PRS takes place in Angel Grove. Barring any evidence to the contrary, I decided to accept this head canon because I find it amusing.
> 
> I also have a head canon where Eric and Wes have been adopted as honorary members of Wild Force since "Reinforcements from the Future".  
> (Background pairings are Alyssa/Cole and Taylor/Eric.)  
> A couple other season ranger cameos because they showed up.

Merrick frowned from his place high above the beach, watching Cole talk to the Rangers below.

They were so young; not as young as Max when Wild Force was active, perhaps--was it really almost ten years ago? Cole's hair was shorter, and his gaze was distant, penetrating. He reminded Merrick of himself, back in the day. Back when Zen Aku ruled him rather than accompanied him. He picked up the phone, deciding to call Taylor first.

He wasn't sure whether or not to call Alyssa directly; true, she was Cole's wife, but given her current condition--well, he'd see what Taylor thought. He flipped open the prepaid cell phone and dialed.

"Hello, Taylor's phone," the gruff voice of Eric Myers answered.

Eric was for all intents and purposes a teammate, there was no reason to ask to speak to Taylor.

"It's Merrick. I found Cole."

"Please tell me you didn't call Alyssa," Eric said.

"I called you. Is Alyssa all right? The baby?"

"They're all fine, but Dana put Alyssa on bed rest so nothing would change with her or the babies."

"Babies?" Merrick echoed.

"Twins," Eric said. "Where are you?"

"Angel Grove, our friend is with the current Ranger team."

"And you haven't just swooped in there because..."

"Shayla still has my morpher and something's wrong. He was... it wasn't morphed exactly. For a moment there I thought he was the Rangers' enemy." Merrick frowned, staring for a moment. "Then again, the way they're reacting, he might just be. Get as many of the others down here as you can without Alyssa doing something stupid and getting out of bed."

"Right," Eric said, and clicked off the phone.

Merrick snorted. Ten years; you'd think the man would've picked up a modicum of phone etiquette.

* * *

A few hours later Merrick met the van and SUV. He wasn't surprised to see Max pile out of the florist van with Danny, but he was shocked to see that Taylor wasn't alone.

"Eric, Wes, what are you guys doing here?"

"I wasn't letting Taylor come without me, and well, you know how Wes is." Eric shrugged.

Wes snorted. "Like you're any better, Myers. Seriously, Cole needs us."

Merrick frowned. "You left Alyssa alone?"

"We called in the reserves. Tori and Kira are with her," Max said, "they owed us a favor. And Dana should be getting there soon, she wanted to check up on her personally. You said something was wrong, and it looked evil, we figured we'd need all hands on deck."

"The current Rangers keep calling him Deker. I'm not entirely sure whose side he's on," Merrick said.

"Where are they?" Wes asked.

"I sort of lost track."

"I'm going to go out on a limb and say they're up there," Taylor said, pointing at the edge of the skyline where the Samurai Rangers' megazord was.

"We'll have to catch them after the battle."

* * *

It took them about twenty minutes after the end of the battle for them to finally track down Cole. He was standing on the beach, his back to them, facing the current Ranger team. They seemed too engaged in their shouting match to pay any attention to the Wild Force Rangers (or Time Force Rangers) sneaking up on them.

Merrick couldn't help but think that these kids were damn lucky that the only ones happening on them were other Rangers. Did they have no concept of secret identities?

"Who are you?" Red shouted at them a few heartbeats later.

Maybe he was just waiting to see what they did; it was a public beach.

Cole turned, eying them critically. He looked confused, but no recognition crossed his face.

The other five flanked Cole, arms up in defensive stances. Merrick couldn't help but idly think that this was how his team would have reacted had any random denizens of Turtle Cove appeared just after he'd been freed of Zen Aku. Freed. The sword, Uramasa, lay broken at Cole's feet.

"Easy guys," Eric said, holding his morpher up.

"We're all Rangers here," Wes added, doing likewise.

"Technically Deker was a half Nylock," Red said. "At least as long as he was being controlled by Uramasa. When we broke the sword, it left him. We've got this, back off."

"Yes, but before Uramasa controlled him, in 2002, with us, he was the Red Wild Force Ranger," Merrick said evenly.

"I couldn't have been a Ranger. I'm not good," Cole insisted. "Rangers are good. I've been telling them." He gestured in the general direction of the Samurai Rangers.

Merrick glanced back at the rest of his team. "So if he says it do I get to hit him?"

Danny and Max shrugged. Taylor shook her head in annoyance.

Cole backed away, glancing around furtively. Merrick suddenly realized that between the other people standing there, Cole's only route of escape would be the ocean.

"Look," Yellow said. "You guys are making Deker uncomfortable can you just..."

"Cole!" came a shout from the beach.

"Alyssa?" the rest of the Wild Force Rangers said at once.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Taylor asked.

"What are you thinking?" Danny added.

"Do you really think I'm going to be laying around in bed when..." Alyssa tripped.

Kira and Tori, who had been running behind her, caught up (they were almost there anyway) scooping her to her feet.

"What happened to staying in the car?" Kira asked.

"Why did we take Tori's van instead of something that could drive on sand?" Alyssa retorted.

"You guys, you were supposed to be staying with her," Danny said irritably.

A shrill whistle cut through the air.

Merrick looked up to see that the Blue Ranger had just pulled his fingers out of his mouth.

He nodded at the Yellow Ranger.

"Like I was saying, Deker's pretty freaked out, and Alyssa here really looks like she could use somewhere comfortable to sit down," the petite blonde said. "Why don't we go back to our place..."

"How do we know they're really Rangers?" Red growled.

Eric pulled out his Quantum Morpher and Wes his chronomorpher. "Did you miss these the first time around?" Eric asked gruffly.

Wes glared at him. "Don't mind Eric, he doesn't play well with others. We can vouch for the others. They don't carry their morphers; they don't work anymore."

The Samurai Rangers blinked.

"OK, Deker can come with us," Red said, reaching out and cupping a hand over Cole's shoulder.

"Cole is riding with me," Alyssa said, firmly.

"Guys..." Yellow said.

"Kevin, why don't you ride with Deker and Alyssa, we can split up, make sure everyone gets back to the Shiba house without getting lost," Red said. He threw Alyssa a concerned look. "Emily's right, we should go somewhere more comfortable."

"And you want to show these strangers your headquarters?" Cole asked. "For that matter, you want to show _me_ your headquarters?"

"Yes," said the five Samurai Rangers in unison.

Merrick smirked. He remembered this phase. It was about time Cole got some of his own medicine.

"Deker might have one point: should Kevin be riding with those guys alone?" Green asked. "Maybe I should go with?"

Blue, who Merrick gathered must be Kevin, glared at Green, eyes flicking to Red meaningfully.

Green rolled his eyes, cocking his head to Pink and Yellow, then glaring at Blue.

Pink and Yellow were also giving him dirty looks.

If Merrick didn't know better, he'd wonder if Blue had just dared to suggest that the girls were somehow incapable of protecting the Red Ranger. But why did the Red Ranger need protection?

Red sighed in a manner that suggested to Merrick that he was accustomed to the others being overprotective and had resigned himself to it. "Mike, go with Kevin." He surveyed the beach for a couple moments. "Assuming the rest of you can follow either Alyssa's group or us. Otherwise the girls can..."

Or maybe not so resigned given the the glaring that was now passing back and forth.

"Will you guys zip it?" Tori said. "We'll take Cole and Kevin, but Alyssa takes up most of the back seat, so Kira can ride with Taylor and the Time Force Rangers, who can follow us. That leaves enough room in the florist van for the other four Samurai Rangers. Let's move people!"

Merrick smirked. He suddenly understood how Tori managed to hold her own on a team with two alpha male Red Rangers, one of whom was her brother-in-law.

* * *

By the time that the florist van reached the Shiba house, Jayden just about had a head ache. Other Rangers? And Deker had been one of them ten years ago? And that pregnant woman--Alyssa-- was his wife?

Deker was about to be a father, and he hadn't even known it.

Jayden couldn't help but wonder what had happened on the ride over, because when they pulled up to the Shiba house, Deker scurried around to the front to help the girl Blue Ranger get Alyssa out of the car. 

Mentor Ji came out to meet them, eying all the extra people with confusion. "What happened? Who are these people? Jayden..."

"More Rangers," Jayden said. "And they claim to be teammates of Deker's--well, some of them, it's kind of confusing. But Alyssa there says she's Deker's wife, and either way she's really, really pregnant, I figured we should talk this out somewhere more comfortable."

Ji glanced over Jayden's shoulder. "She's pregnant with Deker's kid?"

"Twins, but that's what she says," Jayden said quietly as Alyssa approached with her entourage.

Ji held the door open for them.

"We're Cole's team," one of the Yellows--Taylor?--said as they entered.

"Most of..." the guy in the red beret started, but she elbowed him into silence.

As they went around for introductions, Deker settled on the couch next to Alyssa, pulling her into his lap. One hand carded through her hair, the other perched protectively over her belly.

"Cole, buddy, are you starting to remember?" Danny asked hopefully.

"Or am I going to have to find a way to steal your morpher from the Animarium, Jungle Boy?" Taylor asked.

"It's half blurry images and half instinct," Deker replied, wincing as Alyssa's face fell a little. "I can't... I don't see why it matters. After all I've done, I shouldn't be around any of you." He tried to push Alyssa up so he could stand, but she settled back stubbornly. "Let alone anyone's kids." He rubbed her stomach protectively.

"They're our kids, Cole," Alyssa said. "And you're going to be a great dad. What that blasted sword did to you wasn't your fault."

"You knew it was the sword?" Jayden asked. "Where the hell have you been for the last six months? We could've stopped this ages ago!" From the look of Alyssa's stomach, Deker was about to miss the birth of his children. Those kids were about to miss their Dad!

"Yes, because Cole has a GPS chip in his arm that we can use to find him wherever he goes," Eric retorted. "All we had was Merrick, and he's not exactly easy to reach." The look in his eyes suggested he was about to call Jayden something like an upstart kid.

"Haven't you people heard of cell phones?" Mike asked.

"Not in Africa," Merrick said.

"And we can't even get him to check his gmail account," Deker said exasperatedly. "After Max went to all that trouble to get you an invite, too."

He was met with nine hopeful stares and six confused looks.

"Dr. O said if there was memory loss that even once the spell was broken, it might not come back all at once," Kira said.

"It seems to be coming as I need it," Deker said. "Like that I'm supposed to remind you that you're supposed to call him Tommy."

Kira blushed, and Jayden couldn't help but wonder what _that_ was about.

"Do you remember how you got the sword in the first place?" Ji asked.

"I found Uramasa on the door step..."

"What did we tell you about touching random things that just show up out of nowhere?" Alyssa asked irritably.

"What was that you were saying a couple minutes ago about my being a great dad?" Deker shot back.

"No idea how it got there?" Jayden asked.

"We've been trying to track it, but we've been focusing our energy on finding Cole," Wes replied.

"Why's it matter?" Deker asked.

"He's right," Emily said. "I mean, why worry about how it got there? The spell's broken and we really need to worry about Master Xandred breaking out of the underworld."

"Yes, but who wanted Deker to help him?" Jayden asked. "Or was it to keep a big gaggle of Power Rangers from showing up in Angel Grove..."

He was interrupted by half the room bursting into laughter.

"Too late," Kira said between giggles.

"Some of the original team is still here?" Jayden asked.

"Yeah," Kira said. "I wonder if they were trying to keep us from helping you by distracting us with Cole's disappearance."

"He's Deker," Mike said, frowning.

"I'm both, I think," Deker said.

It was hard to argue with that.

"So what now?" Jayden asked, eyes flitting unconsciously towards Wes who was technically the only other Red Ranger in the room. (He'd argue since Eric had introduced himself as the Quantum Ranger, he didn't count.)

"Now we take Cole home," Alyssa said firmly.

Deker's eyes flicked from Alyssa's pregnant belly to the Samurai Rangers.

"Is there a sixth morpher we don't know about?" Danny asked. "Because if there's not, man, there's nothing more you can do here."

"Well there is a sixth morpher, but it's owned by a sixth Ranger that can't be bothered to answer his phone," Kevin said loudly as he stood up.

Jayden glanced behind him to find Antonio coming in the front door. At least they'd managed to convince him to use his key and not knock.

"What'd I miss?" Antonio asked, leaning on the back of the couch, arms next to Jayden's shoulder.

Kevin was moving towards them.

"Other Power Rangers," Jayden said. "Oh, and Deker's good now. And a huge battle."

"Ow!" Antonio said, shoving Kevin's hand away from the back of his head.

"You need to answer your phone, we could've used you," Kevin said.

"Save the hitting for the Nylock, would you?" Jayden said.

"Act like a bunch of grown ups, would you?" Eric asked impatiently.

Wes and Taylor each smacked one of his arms.

Jayden caught Emily's eyes and they both fell over laughing.

"You two aren't helping," Eric pointed out.

Deker looked at the quiet one who had introduced himself as Merrick. "What do you think?"

"I think you have responsibilities at home," Merrick said.

"We should give you guys our contact info," Max said, "just in case."

"And get theirs so Aisha knows where to send the Ranger Beach Party invites to," Kira added.

Deker frowned. "I've caused so much damage."

"That wasn't you," Jayden said. "That was the sword."

"Or a Nylock in the sword," Antonio added. "I'm really not clear on the whole sword thing."

Kevin huffed. Jayden glared at him.

"I need to make things up to you," Deker insisted.

"You need to be there for your family," Emily said.

"You're not a Samurai," Kevin added.

Antonio reached out to hit him, but Jayden reached out and grabbed his arm. "Nylock." He turned to Deker. "You can make it up to us by making sure those kids don't grow up without a father."

Alyssa shot Jayden such a grateful look that he felt heat rising in his cheeks.

"We've got this," Mike said, clapping Deker on the shoulder. "You worry about your family."

Deker looked at them. Carefully. "Are you sure?" He glanced at Merrick again-- Jayden suspected there was a story there, but he'd be darned if he knew what that was.

Merrick just nodded at Deker encouragingly.

"We're sure," Jayden said.

"You'll see them at the Ranger Beach Party," Alyssa said, patting his shoulder.

"Should I ask?" Jayden asked.

"Don't worry, it's fun," Kira said, brightly.

Wes had picked up a pad of paper and was diligently copying something from his cell phone. "I'm giving you a list of local Rangers, and contact information for the closer people who still have active morphers. Someone will be in touch to get you guys on the phone tree."

"You'd better stay in touch," Jayden said, poking Deker in the arm.

"We want baby pictures!" Emily added.

"And save us some hot dogs at the beach party," Mike added.

Deker smiled at them.

"You're sure you're OK with them, Deker?" Emily asked.

"They're my team, Emily," Deker replied. He patted Alyssa's belly. "And my family. We'll be fine."

The End


End file.
